On various occasions and in various situations, a need exists to transport a person by ambulance cot, stretcher, rolling hospital bed, or other such device. For the most part, these devices have been built according to generally accepted standards, taking into account factors that include the nominal size of patients.
In recent times, people are increasingly becoming obese, and more obese than ever. At some point, obese people reach a size that makes it dangerous (to them and the people doing the transporting) for them to be transported by traditional means. In other words, many of the currently existing ambulance cots, stretchers, etc. are not large enough to accommodate a growing segment of the population.
One possible solution to this problem is to introduce larger ambulance cots, but this would be difficult and costly to implement. For example, larger ambulance cots may not fit into existing ambulances or may not fit through existing doorways. Also, replacing all existing ambulance cots would take time.
Another possible solution to this problem is to provide a supplemental platform that essentially rests on top of a traditional ambulance cot. However, this solution would encounter problems similar to those discussed above with respect to introducing larger ambulance cots, and may do nothing to reduce the likelihood of the cot tipping over.
In other words, there exists a need for a practical solution to transporting people that are too big for existing patient supporting structures. Some possible solutions to this problem are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,740 to Ishida, but room for continued improvement remains.